Per Bak

Per Bak was a physicist known for developing the concept of "self-organized criticality," which describes how complex systems naturally evolve to a critical state where even small changes can cause significant events, like avalanches or earthquakes. Imagine a pile of sand: as you add grains, it gradually becomes unstable; sometimes a tiny grain causes a large cascade. Bak’s work helps explain behaviors in nature and society that seem unpredictable but follow underlying patterns, emphasizing that complex systems can self-organize into a poised condition, remaining on the edge of chaos without external tuning.